The Indiana Pacers and Los Angeles Clippers will bring their strong defensive credentials into Thursday’s matchup in Inglewood, California. This will be the first of two encounters between the teams this month.
The Clippers rank third in the NBA with 107.5 points allowed per game and are equally proficient in limiting opponents’ offensive rebounds, allowing just 10.0 per game. The Pacers, while not as impressive in these categories, boast the Eastern Conference Defensive Player of the Month for January in Andrew Nembhard.
Recent Struggles Both teams are looking to rebound from disappointing losses on Tuesday. The Clippers suffered a 122-97 defeat at home against the Los Angeles Lakers, in a game that was never competitive. The Pacers’ four-game winning streak came to an end with a 112-89 road loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.
Despite the recent loss, the Pacers have been on a hot streak, winning 12 of their last 15 games since the start of January. This successful run has propelled Indiana into the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference standings.
Pacers’ Performance The Pacers struggled to find their rhythm on their West Coast trip. Before the loss to Portland, they narrowly defeated the Utah Jazz 112-111 on Monday. Andrew Nembhard led the Pacers with 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting against Portland, while his teammates combined for a 39.4% shooting performance.
Indiana was held to under 90 points for just the second time this season and the first since November 8.
Clippers’ Challenges The Clippers faced a relentless Lakers offense on Tuesday, giving up at least 122 points for the eighth time this season. They were down by 24 points just 15 minutes into the game and never managed to close the gap to less than 13 points.
Norman Powell scored 20 points for the Clippers, while Kawhi Leonard had 11 points, his lowest total over the past nine games. James Harden contributed just seven points. Leonard has played in only 12 games this season, making his debut on January 4 after dealing with knee soreness.
Head-to-Head The Clippers and Pacers have split each of their past three season series. Last season, the Pacers secured a road victory against the Clippers for the first time since April 1, 2018.
